For some, pierogies taste like childhood. Others look at it and think it's an oddly shaped ravioli. Then there are people who have never heard of pierogies. Whatever camp you find yourself in, Polska's Mushroom Cabbage Pierogi is pure comfort food. Filled with sauerkraut and cremini mushrooms, these Polish dumplings are flavorful, to say the least.

I've grown up with many food sensitivities, the main one being sugar which tends to give me acne. So needles to say, food bars are not a big part of my diet. Most of them are just candy bars disguised as health food. I decided to give these give ZEGO bars a whirl because I figured that if any bars worked for my system, these would have to be it. In the end, I found myself pleasantly surprised on many levels.

Everyone could use a healthy, raw snack they can feel good about. When hunger strikes on the go, it's nice to pull food out of your bag and quickly refuel without sacrificing quality ingredients and nutrition. That's where products like NudeFood are handy.

I am somewhat of a chocolate aficionado. I love chocolate, so of course I was excited to review PASCHA. The entire line is free of the eight major food allergens: nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, fish, wheat, and gluten. All the chocolate this company produces is vegan, and bonus it's organic and fair trade. The prices of the bars are reasonable: for a full size 3.5 oz. chocolate bar it costs $5.00. Some people may think this is expensive compared to other brands but when it comes to chocolate you truly get what you pay for - the cheaper the chocolate, the more likely its been overly processed leaving out the richness of cacao.

Few things are as exciting as getting a preview of something before it comes out, am I wrong? Assuming I'm not, you'll be excited today because I'm giving you a sneak peak at Vegan Cuts' April Snack Box! Why? Because I co-curated it!! Since you're part of the EvG community you are the first to find out what's inside...well, I can't tell you everything or else I'd ruin the full surprise! But here's what I can tell you:

Do you find yourself spending WAY too much moolah at the local smoothie bar and organic cafe? Are you having a love affair with your high speed blender, yet find yourself making the same recipes over and over again? If you found yourself hollering, "yes, Yes, YES!" then you much check out this new book. The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts, and Drinks--100 Gluten-Free, Vegan Recipes! by Tess Masters will be on shelves tomorrow (April 8th) and it is going to rock your blender-lovin' world. Below I'll share one of my favorite smoothie recipes from the publication, but first let me give you a little breakdown of this stunning work of art.

With all my dietary preferences, it can be challenging to find crunchy snacks that really satisfy. Potato chips are tasty yet have no nutritonal value and are full of oil. I'm sensitive to gluten and corn, so chips made from those ingredients are out of the question. Bean chips are a great alternative, but they often upset my stomach. Kale chips have been the answer for years, however I crave variety. That's why I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered Wonderfully Raw's Snip Chips and Brussel Bytes - in addition to being raw, they're:

It’s no secret that I have a major sweet tooth. When I decided to become vegan I really missed a lot of those classic candy bars I would indulge in occasionally, especially Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. There was something about those overly sugary little cups of joy that had me craving them every few months or so. It’s probably a good thing they aren’t vegan because let’s be honest here, they really aren’t good for (or your waistline). Enter Buddha Cups - Raw Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. Lovingly made in Brooklyn, NY these chocolates are dairy free, gluten free, soy free, vegan, fair trade and free of refined sugar. Sounds pretty awesome right?!

The word "diet" has a bad connotation these days: it conjures up themes of deprivation, malnutrition and low success rates. Many diets are started because of social pressure from friends, family and the media, and when that's the driving force there's a higher chance of failing since there's less emphasis on a healthy structure. I experienced this first hand as a teenager - I thought I was chubby so I tried all sorts of fad diets and none of them worked long term. It wasn't until I educated myself on nutrition and payed attention to the signs my body was telling me about food sensitivities that I got to a healthy weight and stayed there.

It's almost officially summer time and you know what that means - veggie burgers on the grill, yahoo! Sure, you probably eat plant-based patties year round like me, but there's something about the way they taste on a warm summer day... And I'm sure I'm not alone in having tried my fair share of vegan burgers over the years - sadly it's hard to find one that really satisfies. I've had dry burgers, burgers that fall apart, burgers that lack flavor... you know what I'm talkin' about! And to make things a bit more challenging, when I started avoiding gluten, soy and corn my options were pretty pathedic. That is, until I discovered Hilary's Eat Well, a company that makes delicious, convenient and low-allergen burgers that are gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, egg-free, soy-free, yeast-free, and nut-free! The woman-owned biz offers 3 pattie flavors and new bites that are great for kids.